Dates visited: 8/10/2020 & 11/20/2020

No real story for this one. Just a great photo opportunity.

Date visited: 4/9/2021

I grew up in Enfield, went to college in Springfield, and worked in Springfield for many years, but this was the first time I had ever been to Forest Park. It's a pretty big place. There are a lot of great photo opportunities here, and the dogs were being cooperative. We bypassed doing the trails, and just mostly walked around the park for three miles.

Date visited: 4/7/2021

I would have never known about this place if it wasn't for the All-Trails app. There are no signs or anything indicating that this place even exists. The trail head is in the back of a church parking lot, un-signed of course. There are a lot of trails back here in a nice wooded forest.

Date visited: 8/29/2023

This was a complete waste of time. The main portion of the park is closed, with gates locked with padlocks. Sign says it's because of staffing shortages. The only part of the park that is open is the boat dock/fishing area. The picture below is basically it! There were a couple people fishing, and one occupied car that reeked of marijuana. We basically took this picture and left.

Date visited: 8/29/2023

This is a town park at an old summer camp location. It's pretty nice, espcially considering it's in Springfield! There are two small ponds here, one has a small swimming area. There are also some short unmarked trails around the side of the ponds. The park also features a playground, a pavilion and a picnic area. It looks like the grounds are actively maintained. The park is next to a country club and golf course, and it isn't always clear where the park property ends and the country club property begins. Incidentally, the sign about dogs not being allowed on the golf course wasn't anywhere near the golf course itself! We meandered around this park, walking about one and a half miles in the process.

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Date visited: 1/27/2024

This is a city park in the North End of Springfield. There are two sections of the park, one with athletic fields, playgrounds, and even some exercise equipment. The other part features a paved two mile walking trail that loops around some ponds. The trail is perfect for dog-walking. There are benches and trash cans throughout, and even a few poop bag dispensers. There are some short side trails with access to the ponds. The park is well maintained. It was obvious by the small snow banks on either side of the trail, that the trail is cleared in the winter time. There was some trash in the woods on some of the side trails, but most of the park was remarkably clean for a city park, especially the city of Springfield! It was a damp and dreary day, after four straight days of rain, but it was good to get out none the less. We walked a little bit over 2.5 miles total, completing the entire loop trail as well as part of the regular park area as well.

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Date visited: 3/18/2024

This is a city park located in the Indian Orchard section of Springfield. I actually found this park simply by looking at "green" areas on Google Maps. I was looking for something within 45 minutes, that I could get to after work with enough time to enjoy, and this fit the bill. I figured it was just going to be a typical walk around a park, but I was pleasantly surprised to find a nice trail around a pond. The park itself is pretty typical, with athletic fields, picnic areas and a playground, as well as a large grassy area. The trail is un-blazed, but well worn and easy to follow. It does not appear on any of my GPS enabled maps. It starts at the southern side of the park and loops the pond. There are also access trails that lead to neighborhood streets as well. The only "iffy" section, was a short part that runs between some backyards and the pond. Other than that, the trail and park seemed remarkably clean and well kept for the City of Springfield. All total, we walked about one and a half miles here, at this surprisingly enjoyable park.

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Date visited: 8/21/2024

This is a city park, with athletic fields and a playground. We didn't explore too much. I was hear for a meet-up with friends. The dogs ate up the attention.